BEAVERTON, Ore., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Open Source Development Labs
(OSDL), a global consortium of leading technology companies dedicated to
accelerating the adoption of Linux, today announced the release of a new 2.6
Linux test kernel version from Linux creator Linus Torvalds and 2.6 kernel
maintainer Andrew Morton that is ready for enterprise testing.
The software release -- available on the Web at www.kernel.org or
ftp.kernel.org -- is called the test9 release version of the Linux 2.6 kernel.
It is a significant milestone in the development of the final production
version of the new 2.6 Linux kernel. OSDL is calling on major Linux
customers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and leading systems providers
to target the test9 release version for testing, validation and enhancement to
prepare for the next production release of Linux.
"Now is when we want big companies and software vendors to step in and
hammer on the kernel so we can get their ideas into the final production
release of 2.6 Linux," said OSDL Fellow Linus Torvalds. "This is their last
big chance."
When Torvalds and Morton released the first 2.6 kernel test version in
July, they established stable APIs, including Posix and thread interfaces.
OSDL has performed a non-stop series of performance and regression tests on
the kernel at its data center test Lab facilities in Portland, Oregon and
Yokohama, Japan.
The Lab's Linux test infrastructure consists of OSDL's Scalable Test
Platform (STP) and Patch Lifecycle Manager(PLM) systems, plus a compile
regression test platform. The Lab publishes testing results online at
www.osdl.org/projects/26lnxstblztn/results/.
The OSDL testing infrastructure automatically tracks the progress of
kernel development, checking new patches when they are released. OSDL has
created a set of database workload tests based on Fair Use implementation of
key Transaction Processing Council (TPC) tests, and provides source code for
other test suites, including an updated version of the AIM7 and AIM9 tests.
All OSDL test code is freely available under an open source license. OSDL is
continuously performing tests on enterprise hardware configurations and
publishes those results online at www.osdl.org/stp. The Lab encourages users
of the Linux-2.6.0-test9 to take advantage of OSDL test workloads, available
online at OSDL or on Sourceforge, and to report back on their experiences and
results.
"The new 2.6 Linux kernel really broadens the markets where Linux can
replace legacy platforms," said Timothy Witham, OSDL Lab director. "It has key
new features that allow Linux to scale dramatically up to support 32 or more
processors and down to run in a wide variety of consumer and industrial
devices, including hundreds of new low-cost embedded processors."
Among the major improvements in the new 2.6 kernel compared to the current
production 2.4 Linux kernel released in January 2001 are:
1. Improved scalability. It has been tested on up to 64-way systems.
It is ready for production use on 32-way machines. Added new CPU
scheduler, memory management and file system code. Supports up to
8Gb of memory on IA-32 systems.
2. Faster threading. New Native Posix Thread Library for Linux
(NPTL) results in test times on 100,000 threads reduced from 15
minutes to 2 seconds for significantly faster system performance
under heavy loads.
3. Enhanced driver layer. I/O devices such as disks perform better
and are easier to manage. New features include: Logical Volume
Management (LVM), sysfs, device mapper, reduced lock contention.
4. Support for many more embedded device applications. uClinux
integration brings new support for low-cost, low-power CPUs without
memory management units which are commonly used in embedded devices.
5. Improved desktop features. Hot plug devices, including firewire
and USB, are dramatically improved. Mouse, video, and sound are
smoother and perform better. New Advanced Linux Sound Architecture
(ALSA) brings professional music-studio quality audio.
About Open Source Development Labs (OSDL)
OSDL -- home to Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux -- is dedicated to
accelerating the growth and adoption of Linux in the enterprise. Founded in
2000 and supported by a global consortium of IT industry leaders, OSDL is a
non-profit organization that provides state-of the-art computing and test
facilities in the United States and Japan available to developers around the
world. OSDL members include Alcatel, Cisco, Computer Associates, Dell,
Ericsson, Force Computers, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Linuxcare,
Miracle Linux Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, MontaVista Software, NEC
Corporation, Nokia, NTT DATA INTELLILINK, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems, Sun
Microsystems, SUSE LINUX, TimeSys, Toshiba, Transmeta Corporation, Turbolinux,
Ulticom, Unilever and VA Software. Visit OSDL on the Web at www.osdl.org .
NOTE: OSDL is a trademark of Open Source Development Labs, Inc. Linux is
a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Third party marks and brands are the property
of their respective holders.

SOURCE Open Source Development Labs

BEAVERTON, Ore., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Open Source Development Labs
(OSDL), a global consortium of leading technology companies dedicated to
accelerating the adoption of Linux, today announced the release of a new 2.6
Linux test kernel version from Linux creator Linus Torvalds and 2.6 kernel
maintainer Andrew Morton that is ready for enterprise testing.
The software release -- available on the Web at www.kernel.org or
ftp.kernel.org -- is called the test9 release version of the Linux 2.6 kernel.
It is a significant milestone in the development of the final production
version of the new 2.6 Linux kernel. OSDL is calling on major Linux
customers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and leading systems providers
to target the test9 release version for testing, validation and enhancement to
prepare for the next production release of Linux.
"Now is when we want big companies and software vendors to step in and
hammer on the kernel so we can get their ideas into the final production
release of 2.6 Linux," said OSDL Fellow Linus Torvalds. "This is their last
big chance."
When Torvalds and Morton released the first 2.6 kernel test version in
July, they established stable APIs, including Posix and thread interfaces.
OSDL has performed a non-stop series of performance and regression tests on
the kernel at its data center test Lab facilities in Portland, Oregon and
Yokohama, Japan.
The Lab's Linux test infrastructure consists of OSDL's Scalable Test
Platform (STP) and Patch Lifecycle Manager(PLM) systems, plus a compile
regression test platform. The Lab publishes testing results online at
www.osdl.org/projects/26lnxstblztn/results/.
The OSDL testing infrastructure automatically tracks the progress of
kernel development, checking new patches when they are released. OSDL has
created a set of database workload tests based on Fair Use implementation of
key Transaction Processing Council (TPC) tests, and provides source code for
other test suites, including an updated version of the AIM7 and AIM9 tests.
All OSDL test code is freely available under an open source license. OSDL is
continuously performing tests on enterprise hardware configurations and
publishes those results online at www.osdl.org/stp. The Lab encourages users
of the Linux-2.6.0-test9 to take advantage of OSDL test workloads, available
online at OSDL or on Sourceforge, and to report back on their experiences and
results.
"The new 2.6 Linux kernel really broadens the markets where Linux can
replace legacy platforms," said Timothy Witham, OSDL Lab director. "It has key
new features that allow Linux to scale dramatically up to support 32 or more
processors and down to run in a wide variety of consumer and industrial
devices, including hundreds of new low-cost embedded processors."
Among the major improvements in the new 2.6 kernel compared to the current
production 2.4 Linux kernel released in January 2001 are:
1. Improved scalability. It has been tested on up to 64-way systems.
It is ready for production use on 32-way machines. Added new CPU
scheduler, memory management and file system code. Supports up to
8Gb of memory on IA-32 systems.
2. Faster threading. New Native Posix Thread Library for Linux
(NPTL) results in test times on 100,000 threads reduced from 15
minutes to 2 seconds for significantly faster system performance
under heavy loads.
3. Enhanced driver layer. I/O devices such as disks perform better
and are easier to manage. New features include: Logical Volume
Management (LVM), sysfs, device mapper, reduced lock contention.
4. Support for many more embedded device applications. uClinux
integration brings new support for low-cost, low-power CPUs without
memory management units which are commonly used in embedded devices.
5. Improved desktop features. Hot plug devices, including firewire
and USB, are dramatically improved. Mouse, video, and sound are
smoother and perform better. New Advanced Linux Sound Architecture
(ALSA) brings professional music-studio quality audio.
About Open Source Development Labs (OSDL)
OSDL -- home to Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux -- is dedicated to
accelerating the growth and adoption of Linux in the enterprise. Founded in
2000 and supported by a global consortium of IT industry leaders, OSDL is a
non-profit organization that provides state-of the-art computing and test
facilities in the United States and Japan available to developers around the
world. OSDL members include Alcatel, Cisco, Computer Associates, Dell,
Ericsson, Force Computers, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Linuxcare,
Miracle Linux Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, MontaVista Software, NEC
Corporation, Nokia, NTT DATA INTELLILINK, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems, Sun
Microsystems, SUSE LINUX, TimeSys, Toshiba, Transmeta Corporation, Turbolinux,
Ulticom, Unilever and VA Software. Visit OSDL on the Web at www.osdl.org .
NOTE: OSDL is a trademark of Open Source Development Labs, Inc. Linux is
a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Third party marks and brands are the property
of their respective holders.
SOURCE Open Source Development Labs